This landed in my inbox this morning, the day after I wrote a piece about fear. Fear has been on my mind a lot lately and I am in a constant struggle with it in several areas of my life.
In this piece, Donald Maass reminds writers of some questions that should be asked while writing, and then asked again by editors as they make suggestions.
Reading it reminded me of why I read certain things at certain times. Maybe it will resonate with you, too.
And I also just remembered I need to buy his book, The Emotional Craft of Fiction, I’ve been meaning to for a while. Happy Birthday to me!
What do you need to be reminded of today?
What are your hopes and dreams? What are you most afraid of? Search online for common fears and phobias, and you will quickly find that whatever terrifies you also terrifies others. Do you, for instance, suffer (as so many do) from Koumpounophobia, Alektorophobia, Sidonglobophobia, or Hippotomonstrosequippedaliophobia? Those are the paralyzing fears of buttons, chickens, cotton…
Nyssa reveling in the one patch of snow on our walk
Akitas are snow dogs. They wait not-so patiently all year for the white stuff to fly and they revel in it. Unfortunately for Nyssa, our backyard is one of the first places that melts off, even more so with all of the traffic of four dogs. At that point, she has to content herself with rolling in a few patches that remain in the shady areas along our walks. Like in the shot above, she rolls around and creates her own doggy snow angel, savoring every moment she can.
She takes advantage of the snow when it is there.
Which only serves to remind me that I should do the same.
Several times recently I have missed an opportunity that I was interested in, purely because I didn’t act then and there. Of course, there is no way to know whether I would have been selected, but if I don’t apply, then there is no chance, right?
So what holds me back?
Imposter syndrome, mostly, which translates simply to FEAR.
Imposter syndrome is brutal. Once it has insinuated itself into your mind, it is content to hang out and just comment when you think you’ve built up enough confidence to resist it.
All it takes is one little mental sneer, and I’m scrolling onto something else. The demon wins again.
I want nothing more than to beat the bugger into submission once and for all because giving in is not like me. I have enough confidence in every other area of my life, but not this one, not yet. The struggles of new freelancers are real and tough, but everyone has to start somewhere. Why am I having so much trouble kicking this?
Nyssa takes the opportunity to apply herself to what she loves every time she gets it. So in that way, she continually boosts her confidence.
Then she makes snow angels on the ice and wishes for a snowstorm. (Trust me, I know this).
And guess what happens?
It snows. More confidence fills her well.
I need to be more like Nyssa and take the opportunities when they are there. Even if it doesn’t pan out, I still have learned, I have more experience than before, and even a bit more confidence in my well.
So that’s my mission—be more like my dog. Which is definitely not a bad way to be.😄
Do you take advantage of opportunity when it presents itself? Let me know in the comments 👇🏼👇🏼👇🏼
Have a great week! Woof woof roooooo! 🐕🦺
Nyssa is an integral part of Quill & Orb Press editing, where she supervises from the couch. If you are curious about my editing services and the genres I work in, please follow the link to the webpage or you can contact me at aime@redleafwords.com.
My editing is, first and foremost, a collaboration with you that cultivates drafts and ideas into books of gold. 🔮✨✏📚
Want to keep up with Quill & Orb Press behind the scenes? You can subscribe to my newsletter here for service updates, news, projects, and sometimes more of Nyssa. Let’s keep in touch!
Time and pacing are always foremost thoughts in an author’s mind when they are plotting or writing.
Is it too slow?
Is it too fast?
What if I slow it down a bit, will people lose interest?
And then there comes the moment when the plot puzzle seems to not work together timewise. What do you do then?
This Writer Unboxed post offers some insight into how to deal with this conundrum. Happy reading!~
We’ve all had the experience of something being over in a flash and, in contrast, of time feeling endless. Time feels different, depending on where we are and what we want. It’s the same for our characters—and our readers. As writers, we juggle several kinds of time. I hadn’t really thought about this—not explicitly—until I…
The Sun, a Book, and a Dog 